Various types of manned and unmanned aircraft have been in use for a wide array of commercial, military, homeland security and other purposes for many years. Many of these aircraft are guided by re-directing air passing across a wing or other control surface using conventional control surfaces such as ailerons, flaps, rudders, elevators, vertical stabilizers and the like. Other aircraft are further guided by so-called “vectored thrust” techniques whereby a moveable nozzle adjusts the direction of thrust produced by an engine. Although not common on commercial aircraft, vectored thrust techniques are commonly employed in fighter planes, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and the like.
While conventional guidance systems using vectored thrust and/or control surfaces are effective for many purposes, the full potential of various aircraft is limited by the propulsion and control systems currently available. For very slow-moving aircraft, for example, very precise control is typically desired, yet this level of control is not generally available from conventional control surface assemblies. While vectored thrust assemblies have been used in VTOL systems, the mechanical linkages commonly used in such systems (particularly in aircraft such as the V-22 Osprey, wherein the entire engine pod pivots to alternate between vertical and horizontal thrust) can be highly complicated, thereby resulting in increased cost and weight. Accordingly, it is desirable to create a vehicle control and propulsion system that is able to precisely propel and guide the aircraft in a variety of highly demanding environments and applications. In addition, it is desirable to create a technique for controlling and propelling an aircraft that is effective at low speeds, that operates without complex linkages at a relatively low cost, and that provides precise control of the vehicle. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.